Gondola in Venice

You can grab one just about anywhere in the city, we took one near Rialto based on the Grand Canal after we asked him if he had a route that would take us through the back streets and such.

We also saw many that were based deep in the streets that I assume would be very off the beaten path, we did ours at night and it was a joy. My advice is to simply look around, and ask. Some are nice, some not so much. Ours told us about the buildings we went by which was nice.

dantbarnes,
thanks. So you recommend getting one close to Rialto bridge then. When you talked to them about going on the back canals, did you speak to them in english and they speak english as well? That was nice that you had someone that told you about the places as you were going by...

There are gondolas "docked" all over the city just waiting for riders. Most of the gondoliers will have a route in mind as they do this all day and will know the canals really well. If you would prefer a certain route, just talk to the gondolier you choose and see if they can accommodate what you want. You heard conflicting things because there is no set route from a particular place and there is not just one gondolier for each area. When I did this we stuck mostly to the back canals with a short jog on to the Grand Canal which is what I would do again. The Grand Canal is busy with lots of boats and will have more of a wake compared to smaller canals. We did not specify the route, just picked a gondolier at random and enjoyed it very much.

Almost everyone in the major cities that is involved in the tourism industry will speak at least basic English. It is nice to know a few key phrases in the local language but do not worry about communication difficulties. If you find one that does not speak English and that is important to you, just go to the next one you find.

I imagine all of the gondaliers speak English well, it is a highly trained profession. Venice in general does not feel very authentically Italian and English can be used most anywhere on the island without trouble ; not sure if that is a good or bad thing though.

I recently stayed at Piazza Santa Maria Formosa and to be honest I did not see any gondolas in that immediate vacancy or ever passing by. A couple of minute walk, sure in most any direction you will find one.
I liked the location for staying overnight. Was easy to walk to most anywhere from there and although busy did not get crazy ever with crowds unlike other parts of Venice. At night the piazza was nice.

Finding one is not a problem, it is not something I would book in advance. The couple gondaliers I spoke to, we took 1 ride told me the same thing, basically: they have exact planned routes for set prices/times and always return to the same place (they have a few options). If you wanted something different and could explain it to them, they will give you a price based on time. If you wanted a one way ride to another location, they will factor their return time back to their starting point which you will pay for so a one way ride basically cost twice as much as it should.

They aren't literally everywhere in Venice, but they do pop up all over the place. For example, mreynolds didn't remember seeing any near Piazza Santa Maria Formosa, but there actually is one right there, right next to the small Ruga Giuffa bridge. It was probably in use when mreynolds went by.

Here's a Google Maps Streetview of that Gondola post: https://goo.gl/maps/Fc5B4M6JiUC2 You can see the two gondolieri waiting for their next customer, one standing and one under the big umbrella.

Their English will be good enough to get you through the transaction and to describe various sights along the way, but don't expect to have a long chat about whatever topic comes to mind.

Consider the time of day you're going to do this. I think early evening is best when traffic is lighter, and the lights on the Grand Canal are on. Dont avoid the Grand Canal! Its an entirely different experience than a daytime vaporetto ride.Some of the back canals can be dark, narrow, dirty and smelly. Your hotel can tell you where you can find the most convenient "stand".

I read that gondolas have prices and times set by law, and that it's 80 euros for a 40 minute ride during the day, or 100 euros for a 40 minute ride at night.

Now I'm seeing sylvia saying it's 30 minutes. Which time is right?

It's 30 minutes, a few years ago the City asked them to shorten the rides instead of raising the prices up.
http://www.gondolavenezia.it/storia_tariffe.asp?Pag=43

A Gondola costs around 10,000 € and it rarely lasts more than 20 years: for sure it's a well paid job but you don't become filthy rich rowing in Venice.

Hi Sylvia, my husband and I just took a gondola ride in Venice a few weeks ago.

We found our gondolier Lucca stationed at the Santa Maria della Fava church (not far from the area you're asking about). He took us north to the grand canal, turned around in the grand canal, then headed south and went outside around St. Mark's Square, then back north through the little canals. I would say the ride was about half and half: half the big stuff and half little canals.

We paid the 100 Euros for 40 minutes. I was looking at my watch, and we actually were on the gondola closer to 45 minutes.

He spoke English very well, and we asked him questions about the city, about him learning English, how many gondola rides he averages per day, etc. It was interesting to learn about the city and his life just in that short time! Since we asked him questions, I found the gondola ride to be very informative and insightful. It wasn't a full-blown boat tour, but he also pointed out a few buildings and talked about their history.

I am not sure about "booking" a gondola as you mentioned. We were out just wandering around and decided to take a ride then and there!

Edited to add: we saw gondoliers all over Venice when we were there.

sylvia.alkis sorry I missed your question, I wish we could @notify on this forum, like most others. Anyway, yes he spoke excellent English. Like others said above, it can be crazy busy around there so you might get shorted, or rushed. In our case, it was night time and very slow as it was early in the season so we were taken good care of. Have fun!

thanks!!

When we visit Venice this summer, what should we expect to pay for a family of 4 for a 40 minute gondola ride?

Thanks for your help.